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A review by mg_in_md_
The Shattered Tree by Charles Todd
4.0
The latest Bess Crawford novel begins in France in October 1918. A wounded soldier who is brought to Bess Crawford's aid station after he is found at the foot of a shattered tree. The soldier isn't British though and is wearing a tattered French uniform. However, even more surprising is the fact that he speaks fluent German when he screams out in anger and pain. Bess reports the incident, but her concerns are dismissed and explained away -- the soldier must be from the region of Alsace-Lorraine, which straddles the French-German border and has shifted hands time and again. Bess admits that seems plausible, but her suspicions about the soldier and his loyalties do not die away. However, before she can address them, she herself is wounded while helping to evacuate soldiers from the battlefield. She is sent to Paris to recuperate, where she learns that the mysterious soldier has disappeared with a trace. Could he be the infamous German spotter for the "Paris Gun," or perhaps involved in something equally treacherous? With the help of American Captain Barkley, Bess embarks on a hunt to find this mystery man and uncover the truth, even at great risk to herself.
Unlike other offerings in this series, Bess was very much on her own for much of the action. She doesn't go back to England, as is normally the case, and is confined to France for the duration of the plot this time. Although the war always finds a way to factor into the story, I felt it was even more present in this one by keeping the action confined to France where the fighting was ongoing. There are very small cameos by her mother, who comes to France briefly after Bess is first wounded, and her usual crime-solving assistant, Simon. While part of the reason I enjoy the series so much is the relationships between Bess and her parents, and Bess and Simon, and I did miss that aspect of the story, I also found that I enjoyed the different feel to this one. This showed what it is like for Bess when she is serving in France away from her family and friends. She was isolated but not alone, and I liked seeing her in a different setting and enjoyed the mystery centering around the German-speaking wounded soldier. The historical details always enhance the plot and bring WWI alive.
I used this for the 2017 PopSugar Reading challenge prompt to read "A novel set during wartime." It could have also fit "A book with multiple authors," so I may shift things around if I have trouble with that category later in the reading year. I think it also fits the 2017 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge category "Read a book about war," so I may use it to check off that box too.
Unlike other offerings in this series, Bess was very much on her own for much of the action. She doesn't go back to England, as is normally the case, and is confined to France for the duration of the plot this time. Although the war always finds a way to factor into the story, I felt it was even more present in this one by keeping the action confined to France where the fighting was ongoing. There are very small cameos by her mother, who comes to France briefly after Bess is first wounded, and her usual crime-solving assistant, Simon. While part of the reason I enjoy the series so much is the relationships between Bess and her parents, and Bess and Simon, and I did miss that aspect of the story, I also found that I enjoyed the different feel to this one. This showed what it is like for Bess when she is serving in France away from her family and friends. She was isolated but not alone, and I liked seeing her in a different setting and enjoyed the mystery centering around the German-speaking wounded soldier. The historical details always enhance the plot and bring WWI alive.
I used this for the 2017 PopSugar Reading challenge prompt to read "A novel set during wartime." It could have also fit "A book with multiple authors," so I may shift things around if I have trouble with that category later in the reading year. I think it also fits the 2017 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge category "Read a book about war," so I may use it to check off that box too.